A Week Later – The Headlines Bled
The country didn't sleep the night the truth broke.
Every news outlet, from the smallest online blog to the biggest television stations, lit up with headlines:
Therapist Turned Puppet Master Arrested in Revenge Murders
Psychological Torture or Justice? The Vigilante Patient Who Exposed the Elite
Minister Mwirigi Tied to an almost decade-Old Assault Cover-Up
The public devoured the story. And Annah's face,once anonymous,was now everywhere. Some called her a hero. Others, a cold-blooded killer. But all agreed: the system was rotten. And Dr.Kariuki had cracked it open.
As Stella watched the story unfold on screen in her apartment, she didn't feel satisfaction.
Just exhaustion.
And dread,for what came next.
The courtroom was packed beyond capacity. Kariuki stood in the dock, wearing the same calm mask he always had, as though he were the observer, not the defendant. The charges read like a thriller: conspiracy to commit murder, psychological abuse, obstruction of justice, medical malpractice.
But it was the testimonies that burned the loudest.
Annah's confession was recorded in chambers, sealed for privacy,but enough of her words had leaked to the press to shape the narrative.
"He told me I wasn't hallucinating... that what I saw was the world as it really is."
"Each target was chosen because of what they did to her, his daughter. I was just the scalpel."
Governor Kamau, cornered by overwhelming public pressure and threatened with more evidence surfacing, resigned from his position before formal charges could be filed. Rumors swirled that he'd left the country within hours.
Other names surfaced,judges, doctors, wealthy families,each tied by fragments of suppressed complaints, sealed settlements, or hush money surrounding Njoki Kariuki's death.
The system had bled out its secrets.
But Kariuki never wavered.
When asked why he manipulated Annah, he simply replied:
"I couldn't raise the dead. But I could bury the guilty."
Annah's trial was separate. She was charged with four counts of murder. But her defense was complicated and fragile.
Stella testified on her behalf. So did Nurse Lina, who revealed how deeply under Kariuki's control Annah had been. Psychiatric evaluations painted a picture of dissociation, trauma-linked psychosis, and severe emotional manipulation.
The public was split.
Some protesters stood outside the court holding signs that read:
Free Annah
Survivor, Not Killer
She Took Down Monsters
But others demanded full accountability:
Four Dead. No Excuses.
Grief Is Not a License to Kill
Vigilante Justice Is Still Murder
Inside, Annah sat mostly silent. Her eyes no longer wild. No longer clouded. Just tired.
When she finally spoke in court, her voice was clear:
"I killed people. And I can't ask for forgiveness. But I was not alone in that room. He was in my head. He built me for this."
The courtroom held its breath.
"I don't want to be excused. I want people to know the truth. I want the system that broke us to feel what we felt."
For Stella, the days after were a blur of press conferences, committee calls, and silent internal affairs interviews. Some praised her. Others questioned her proximity to the case, her emotional involvement with the suspect. But the Commissioner backed her publicly, and the integrity of her investigation was airtight.
Privately, though, Stella couldn't let go of the guilt. She had seen Annah's descent. She'd missed the signs early on. And she had underestimated just how deep the corruption ran.
The judiciary launched a review of dozens of cases connected to Kariuki and the men Annah had killed. New victims came forward, emboldened by her story. Hidden tapes. Bribed doctors. Raped students. Buried lawsuits.
It was more than one case. It was an epidemic.
The Verdicts
Dr. Kariuki: Found guilty on all major charges. Life imprisonment, with no possibility of parole.
Annah Mwende: Convicted of voluntary manslaughter, not murder, due to diminished capacity. Sentenced to twenty years, with eligibility for parole in ten,pending continuous psychiatric treatment.
The decision outraged some. But to many, it was a compromise between justice and compassion.
Annah didn't cry. She nodded.
And when Stella visited her the last time before transfer, Annah simply said:
"I feel free."
Kamau's disappearance left chaos in his wake. Multiple politicians connected to the scandal scrambled to distance themselves. Emergency elections were called. Activists demanded justice reform. Civil society groups pushed for a national registry of repeat offenders in cases of sexual assault.
For once, the country listened.
Some things began to change.
Epilogue – A Letter Never Sent
In a quiet corner of Stella's apartment sat a sealed envelope. Inside, Annah had written:
"I was made into something dark. But in that darkness, I found the truth. Not about them. About me."
"I am not a ghost. I am not a martyr. I am just what happens when no one listens."
"Tell them to listen."